Defendant in Defence Ministry Satellite Case Appeals 2.5-Year Prison Sentence
Lawyers for retired Rear Admiral Leonardi say they have filed an appeal against the 2.5-year prison sentence handed down in the alleged corruption case surrounding the Defence Ministry’s satellite procurement. The appeal was lodged with the High Military Court II in Jakarta.
“We filed the appeal on the first day after the verdict on Thursday, 27 August 2026. The appeal deed was only issued by the High Military Court II in Jakarta the following day,” said Leonardi’s lawyer, Surya Wiranto, in a right-of-reply document concerning an article titled ‘Defendant in Defence Ministry Satellite Case Sentenced to 2.5 Years in Prison, Prosecutors Consider Appeal’, received by detikcom on Monday (7 September 2026).
He said the judges’ considerations were flawed, citing a Constitutional Court ruling related to the Anti-Corruption Law.
“It should be noted that before the Constitutional Court ruling, the phrase ‘may harm state finances’ in the Anti-Corruption Law was interpreted as a formal offence, meaning actual losses did not need to be proven. The Constitutional Court subsequently ruled that the word ‘may’ contradicted the 1945 Constitution and has no binding legal force,” he said.
He also questioned the BPKP audit, disputing the figure for state losses in the case. He requested that his client be acquitted.
“Therefore, we ask that Leonardi be acquitted in the interest of legal certainty in Indonesia,” he said.
Earlier, the panel of judges at the High Military Court II in Jakarta found two defendants guilty of corruption in the procurement of the satellite occupying the 123-degree east orbital slot at the Ministry of Defence between 2012 and 2021. Prosecutors are still considering whether to appeal the verdict.
The panel, chaired by Major General Lokal Arwin Makal, sentenced Leonardi, a former Head of the Defence Facilities Agency at the Ministry of Defence who also served as the committing officer, to 2.5 years in prison. He was also ordered to pay a fine of Rp 500 million, subsidised by 140 days’ imprisonment.
Meanwhile, a United States citizen, Anthony Thomas Van Der Hayden, was sentenced to two years in prison. Thomas was also fined Rp 500 million, subsidised by 140 days’ imprisonment.